Prepare For Your Career While In School

There seems to be no escape from the so-called natural progression into adulthood: go to school, apply to college, get into college, get a job. It’s a tall and demanding order to fill, not to mention a little scary. But with a little planning, it’s not impossible to achieve. The best way to make a smooth transition into a career after graduation is by preparing for it while still in school.

You already landed a poorly paid summer internship at a local business, and the possibilities seemed endless: gaining real-world knowledge, establishing contacts, acquiring new skills — not to mention a fresh line to plop under the “Experience” section of your budding resume. Unfortunately, the internship wasn’t quite what you expected. You found yourself spending most of your productive hours fetching coffee, hauling garbage, making copies, and answering phones.

Fear not. Consider these six strategies that will help you land the job you want while still in college.

1- Pick and stick with a major

Understanding your strengths, weaknesses and intellectual passions will give you a head start in the job-search game. Staying with a major course of study (or perhaps a double major for some) not only allows you to graduate on time, but signals to potential employers that your course of study was rigorously focused. Whether you’re mechanically inclined or gifted in the arts, make sure to pursue an academic curriculum that will play to your innate abilities. Also, by sticking to one major, you will gradually come to learn about the kinds of professions and careers that utilize the skills and knowledge you have acquired. Being a jack-of-all-trades may be impressive to many, but it’s preferable to work toward becoming the master of one. Be sure to do your homework beforehand. While it’s always possible to change your mind, this “major” decision is one you can’t afford to be wishy-washy about.

2- Track the evolution of the industry

Once you have decided which kind of career you wish to pursue, it always helps to know more about the trends and developments particular to that industry. Familiarize yourself with the jargon, history and major figures that have emerged in the field. It never hurts to have a firm grasp of the lingo that is spoken by the people working in the career that interests you. If available, you might also consider subscribing to the prominent professional and trade journals that are read widely in that profession.

There’s always the option of taking the initiative and scheduling an informational interview with somebody already involved in that field. Also, try to keep in mind that pursuing courses and extracurricular activities relevant to your future career is important. For example, a future mechanical engineer probably won’t benefit very much from taking a bunch of art history courses. Understanding what skills and knowledge are valuable to an employer will give you a definite advantage over other potential applicants.

3- Build and maintain a social network

Some will argue that landing a job is not necessarily about what you know, but who you know. This point is certainly debatable. In any case, try and think of it this way: Simply knowing the right person won’t always help you get the job you want, although it may assist you in obtaining an interview more readily.